Masonic Latin Phrases and Mottos: Sit Lux, Heredom, Ordo ab Chao, Deus Meumque Jus and the Words on Our Rings

Overview

Most Masonic Latin comes from the Bible, from heraldry or from Masons themselves. Sit Lux et Lux Fuit paraphrases Genesis, Audi Vide Tace is the United Grand Lodge of England’s motto, Ordo ab Chao first appears in 1802, and nobody knows for certain what Heredom means.

This guide takes the Latin phrases Brothers ask about most and gives each a plain translation, its source, the body that uses it and what is still uncertain. It covers Sit Lux et Lux Fuit, Audi Vide Tace, Heredom, Ordo ab Chao and Deus Meumque Jus, along with the mottos inside Scottish Rite rings, the Knights Templar’s In Hoc Signo Vinces and the Mark Mason’s rejected stone. It explains how to convert the Latin dates on charters and cornerstones for each body, from Anno Lucis to Anno Ordinis. It closes with four habits for reading Masonic Latin accurately and the common mistakes to avoid.